GregValiant
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Posts posted by GregValiant
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I was curious if you had figured out what happened.
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Ouch...No need to yell.
Did you try @gr5 's suggestions? You could post the stl file here and the gcode file you developed. Sometimes the answer jumps right out.
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"maybe the model have to be planned together with the printing parameters..."
That is often the case and there are a lot of people who fail to understand that. The printers are very accurate when the model dimensions agree with what the printer and the slicer can do. Thin walls that are an exact multiple of the nozzle size and Z dimensions that are multiples of the Layer Height make for very accurate prints and a noticeable lack of blemishes.
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I think this is what you need to do.
Cura uses two machine definition files. They should be in a folder that looks a lot like this:
C:\Program Files\Ultimaker Cura 4.6\resources\definitions\
One file is "creality_base.def.json" and the second is "creality_ender3.def.json"
They are text files and will open in Notepad. Within the Ender 3 definition file there might be an area like this (the numbers shown are for my E3Pro):
Within the section "overrides" find...
"machine_disallowed_areas": {
"default_value": [
[[-117.5, 117.5], [-117.5, 108], [117.5, 108], [117.5, 117.5]],
[[-117.5, -108], [-117.5, -117.5], [117.5, -117.5], [117.5, -108]]If it looked like the one below you would have a 10mm border around the 300mm build plate. Don't quote me on that. All I know about Python is that "if there are spaces, there are supposed to be spaces".
[[-150, 150], [-150, 140], [150, 140], [150, 150]],
[[-150, -140], [-150, -150], [150, -150], [150, -140]]Be careful and remember, if your printer blows up it wasn't my fault. Make a backup copy of the file before you start changing anything. When you restart Cura it should read the new numbers from the file. I think. Maybe.
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Now you get to play detective. Cura didn't enable Change At Z all by itself.
If you search the settings for Temperature several lines will come up. The ones you are concerned with are all under "Material".
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One more thing about layer heights. I have come across some posts here and there regarding the Creality machines that say to use even number layer heights. .20, .18, .16, .14 are good. .13, .17 etc, are bad. It has something to do with the way numbers get rounded off during the calculations in the printer. I know in Cura it was an issue when calculating the E numbers and that is why the E resets every 4157mm of filament (10,000 mm of extrusion).
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At the beginning of the Gcode file you will see ";POSTPROCESSED".
Next to the Cura Slice button is an icon with a crossed wrench and hammer. Yours probably has a small red circle next to it. Click on the icon and there will be a list of active Post Processing Plugins. To the right of "Change At Z" (that's the CAZD) will be an X that will close the plugin.
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I write a little code and I came up with a front end program for my printer. Part of the development was to make sure it was compatible with different gcode flavors and different slicers. I have a LOT of slicers (SmartAvionics Cura will be next). Some have nicer UI's. Some are more intuitive. Many were originally based on Cura although they seem to have split off and become proprietary. I like Cura. It can be frustrating since there are so many variables. Seeing some of the complaints here, on Reddit, and on a couple of other sites makes me smile (mostly because I'm not the one having to put salve on somebody's sore spot).
There just aren't that many "straight A - 4.0" students out there yet everyone wants perfection from a mechanical device that they barely understand and was the absolute cheapest one they could find. But when they have issues they are 100% positive that their problem can't be their fault or the cheap printers fault so it must be Cura's fault. My own experience is limited but so far I'm finding that those people are rarely correct.
I could go on a rant here but I'm going to go fishing instead.
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Below where it says "Prepare" there is a tool called "Color Scheme" that controls what you see in preview. Pay with it a bit.
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It's the object browser on the lower left of your screen shot. You can select things there.
In regards to your fix - Once you get everything located correctly do a SaveAs *.3mf. Then group the models and export them as a binary STL file. Clear the build plate and bring that new file into Cura. It will be one part. Sometimes that makes for better slicing but look closely at the preview because sometimes it can lead to unexpected results.
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I have an Ender 3 Pro.
XYZ motors are running reversed? How about the E motor? Somebody here must know the fix. Maybe @gr5 or @Torgeir will drop by. A new printer should not need a firmware change. Have you checked that the plugs are inserted in the motors and into the main board in the proper orientation?
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You are going to need some luck. Are you really sure you don't just want to get it working well first? Flashing new firmware isn't for the faint of heart and I'm not seeing a lot of support from Shenzhen/Zonestar. In fact, that printer isn't even listed on their website.
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Do a Save-As .3mf and post it here. Your math is correct though. Even in Detroit schools 5/.2 = 25.
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Select the model. Click on the "move" tool on the left of the screen and check the "Z". It should be zero.
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Is that a dual extruder machine? I ask because Cura doesn't usually put the tool number in M104 lines for single extruder machines.
If you would do a "Save-As" a .3mf file and post it here it might give some clues.
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Well that was interesting. There were so many models scattered around in the 3mf file that for a minute I thought I was looking at my garage floor.
"The model is not watertight". I used the Cura mesh tools and it seemed to fix it. Mostly though, it was buried in the build plate.
You had Horizontal Expansion set to -.25 for the whole model and Initial Layer Horizontal Expansion set to -.25. I don't know for sure but the net difference was probably 0 so it wasn't setting the first layer inboard.
Here is how it came into 4.8. The model kinda looks like your screen shot.
This is after repairing the model and moving it up to Z=0. The first layer is a really small patch and looks nothing like your screen shot. Are we talking apples and oranges here? Or...it's a Honda part and you're trying to fool me.
After making some adjustments to the quality settings I set Initial Layer Horizontal Exp to -1 and it looked like that worked. Back to -.25 and that worked as well. (That was with the model back to be half buried in the build plate just in case.)
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Most likely nobody told the Cura team that there is such a printer. The non-Ultimaker printer profiles that are available are developed by the users and sent to the Cura Team for inclusion in the program. You can add it as a custom non-networked printer. Since it is a 4-in-1-out machine you will also need to load the "Printer Settings" plugin from the market place and set it to "Shared Heater". Setting it up is more tedious than difficult. So long as the "Gcode Flavor" is right you will be able to slice and print. I did look at the Zonestar3D setup file that is included with Cura. It is for a single extruder machine and won't work with your machine.
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No. A post processor plugin was tried but there were side effects. Cura layers are base 1 and gcode layers are base 0. I have about 10 slicers. The only one I know of that starts gcode at 1 is Simplify3d.
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They started life as 1" x 1" x 1/16" aluminum angle. I cut them down to 9mm x 9mm x 20mm long. A spot of super glue holds them to the underside (better that they are easy to remove). I put on the right side and 1 back piece hard against the edges of the hot plate and let the glue set. Then slid the glass in place up against them and glued the other pieces on to trap the glass (the glass is slightly larger than the hot plate). For small prints I usually don't bother with the clips, but for larger nervous pieces I use the clips. That's a belts-and-suspenders approach but it helps keep my anxiety down.
The front left piece isn't missing. I didn't put one there because it's the home position and when I extruded prior to the start of a print it was hitting that clip and making a mess.
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Torgier - Long time no hear from. As you can see, nothing has changed.
I have a feeling that the Cura Team will look at this in the near future (if not already). It's one of those things that can generate a lot of complaints and doesn't seem to be printer specific.
I don't keep gcode files but looking back at the models I've printed in spiralize none of them had sharp included angles like this particular light shade. It's nearly non-printable without support. I never got around to downloading Burtoogle's version of Cura since I've got about 15 different slicers already. Maybe it's time.
Speaking of slicers, the light shade looked pretty good in Prusaslicer and there weren't any G0 moves in the gcode file.
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That's a big file. Can you scale the model down in Cura?
As a check - if you throw out all the supports and infill and keep the settings as simple as possible will it finish slicing?
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- Add a support blocker. It's going to be used as a Mesh Modifier. In the object list on the lower left of the screen it's called an Eraser. You can select it there.
- Move it and scale it to your satisfaction so it covers that whole end of the part. When scaling - turn off "Uniform Scaling" to make each axis independent. When you're happy with the location make sure that the support block Z is at 0. If you find that you need to rotate the block you should do that last.
- Select the support blocker. Select "Per Model Settings" (the tool above the support blocker tool). Select the third option over - "Modify settings for overlaps".
- Wall thickness and top/bottom thickness are defaults and you can set them to high numbers. You can choose to add "Infill Density" and set it to 100%.
Slice the model and check the preview. Everything covered by the support blocker should be solid and the rest of the model should reflect your regular Cura settings.
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The layer height may be input at 3 decimal places. In your example, if the layer height was .143 and Initial Layer Height was .142 you would (theoretically) end up at exactly 1.00.
BUT...If that block had a step at .5, then the step would end up at .428.
I don't know the Ultimaker machines so this next refers to my Creality machine.
Given the 1mm tall block and all layer heights at .15 then at the start of the top layer I could change the Home Offset Z with an "M206 Z-0.1". The result would be to fool the printer into moving the last layer up an additional 0.1mm. But all the E numbers for the top layer were calculated at a Layer Height of .15 which I have effectively turned into .25 and so the flow is wrong. An M226 S166 would be required to adjust the flow to compensate. That's a lot of Flow for my hot end. It might be necessary to reduce the speed as well so M225 S33 to drop the speed by about the same amount as I increased the flow. At the end of the Gcode file I would need to straighten all that out setting the Home Offset, Flow and Speed back to the defaults. It would certainly be easier if Cura could admit that it needs another layer of 0.1 height to complete the print.
But what if the step was the important feature and needed to be an exact height? What if I had a 40mm tall part with 10 steps of varying height that were all important?
"Everything effects everything" and taking the human mind out of the loop and letting the software decide what's important isn't ready for prime time yet.
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Nice. When I bought the 1000 (2010) it came with a Windjammer fairing. I've been thinking about a Vesco Rabid Transit for it but even junky ones go for an arm and a leg. Hey, maybe I can print one!!
A friend had 11 BMW's in his barn. Once in a while I'd ride one with him just to give them some exercise. All 11 were black. My favorites were the K75's. They were quick and sporty and handled really well.
A few years ago I did a ground up on a 73 Vespa 150. At 45 miles/hr it was the most exciting thing I ever rode. I couldn't take a hand off the bars to wipe my nose.
Filament Thread Pulling
in UltiMaker Cura
Posted
When you have small parts, these "Travel" settings come into play. They are described in their ToolTips.
Minimum Extrusion Distance
Retraction Minimum Travel
Max Comb Distance with No Retract
If your Max Comb Distance with No Retract is set higher than the width of that part, then there will be no retraction for the combing moves you have highlighted.